The invention relates to a processing method of silver halide color photosensitive material (hereinafter referred to as photosensitive material), especially to a stabilizing method which substantially excludes any washing process subsequent to a desilvering process.
As the protection of environment and the preservation of water resources have recently been regarded as important, it has been desired that the amount of water should minimally be used in the washing process following the fixing or bleach-fixing process by photofinishers who have developed and processed photosensitive materials automatically and continuously. Accordingly, some techniques have been proposed to submit photosensitive materials to the stabilizing treatment immediately after the fixing or bleach-fixing process, skipping the washing process. For example, techniques to treat photosensitive materials with the stabilizer containing isothiazoline derivatives, benzoisothiazoline derivatives, soluble iron complex salts, polycarboxylic acids, or organic sulfonic acids have been described in Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication Nos. 8542/1982, 132146/1982, 14834/1982 and 18631/1983.
These techniques relate to methods for inhibition or prevention of problems caused by intrusion of components of the fixer or bleach-fixer with the photosensitive material into the washless stabilizer. However, these techniques can not be applied practically against the excess of said intruded components over a certain level, but requires the supplement of a certain amount of the stabilizer correspondingly. There is a drawback of an increase of yellow stain of the unexposed area and a increase of fading of cyan dye during long-term preservation, particularly when there is an increase in the concentration of components of the fixer or bleach-fixer in the last bath for the washless stabilizer.
Some aldehyde compounds have previously been known as effective in preventing such a yellow stain. However, as described in examples in Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication No. 134636/1983, these aldehydes have drawbacks to form a precipitate with silver ion or the like from the fixer within a short time, and to promote the fading of cyan dye during a long-term preservation, when they are used in the washless stabilizer, and, consequently, can not be put to practical use.